


Guardian of the Sky

by SavvyLittleMinx



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Avvar AU, Avvar Cullen, F/M, Lots of gifts, Love Letters, Slow Burn, dragon age: inquisition AU, hidden motivations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-25 23:30:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12046569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SavvyLittleMinx/pseuds/SavvyLittleMinx
Summary: AU where Cullen is not the commander of the Inquisition but Rylen is. Elisabeth seeks to ally herself with the Avvar and the Inquisition finds it very interesting that the Avvar, for the first time in centuries, are uniting under a single banner. The banner belongs to a Thane named Cullen War-Lion.





	Guardian of the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted more Avvar Cullen so I wrote Avvar Cullen. I have no idea how long this is going to be but I am looking forward to this journey very, very much. ^.^

“Wait, we're inviting whom here!?” Commander Rylen pinched his the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he bit back a sigh.

“We're inviting the leader of the Avvar,” Josephine's polite yet determined voice carried through the war room as she glanced at Commander Rylen.

“But the Avvar have no single leader. They're a few single holds, at best.” Rylen opened his eyes and looked at Josephine, eyes cutting to Leliana when she spoke up.

“That was before The Breach. My scouts have come back with reports saying that they are gathering an army of sorts and uniting under a common banner.” Leliana circled the table, her eyes firmly on the marker she placed in the Frostback Mountains not too long after their meeting started. “Scout Harding, after having spoken with this leader, has even come back to say that their uniting started long before The Breach ever appeared. It would seem that this leader has been planning this for a while now.”

Elisabeth worried her bottom lip between her teeth before she asked, “Why message us? What do they want?”

“They want to offer the Inquisition an alliance. They promise troops for our cause and a...hold animal? Yes, a hold animal. They think it's awfully bad luck for us not to have one.” Josephine finished with a scratch of her quill. “Which would make sense. There is evidence to prove that Skyhold once belonged to the Avvar.”

Hearing that made Elisabeth perk up with interest. “Oh? Are we sure that is not the real reason they wish an alliance...to get a hold back since he is apparently uniting the splintered Tribes? I would imagine that amassing fortresses and land would fit nicely with his goals.”

“His real reasons, as well as a few other things I'm told, are waiting for you in your quarters. He has sent gifts and documents.” Leliana stopped her walking, ending up in front of Elisabeth. Her eyes glinted with mischief and anyone who knew her well could tell she was trying to hold back a smile.

Elisabeth started, smoothing the front of her dress before she found her voice to continue, “I'm sorry. I could've sworn you just said he sent me gifts.”

Leliana let her smile loose then and folded her arms on top of each other. “I did say that. The Thane is sincere in a number of things and an alliance with us is one of them. Besides, I had everything checked for traps or things that could harm you. There is no danger to be had.”

“No danger to be had!? Are you mad, woman!? A Thane known for 'my way or the highway', according to your reports on how he's been uniting the Holds, is trying to woe the Inquisitor while he gathers an army of who knows how many strong!” Rylen finished and was all but yelling at this point.

Leliana sighed and turned toward him. “Commander, there is no need for hysterics. The Inquisitor is in no danger from this man. Trust me.”

Elisabeth's mind was reeling with all sorts of questions as Rylen and Leliana continued to go back and forth. Josephine quietly went to her, placing a concerned hand on her elbow while whispering, “Are you all right, hermana?”

She turned to her ambassador and smiled at the term of endearment. Both women have had an easy friendship since they met in Haven and it seemed to grow into an unbreakable bond by the time they reached Skyhold. They always tried to do little things for each other and could often be seen talking in Skyhold's gardens. She always made sure that Josie managed to take some time for herself and in turn Josie did her best to make sure the most difficult of Skyhold's visitors didn't fray her nerves.

“I am all right, Josie. I just can't help but wonder why send me anything at all. This is for the Inquisition, yes?” At Josephine's nod she continued, “Right. So why not give or send something for the Inquisition? I am not the Inquisition. Buttering me up like a crumpet is going to get him no where. I am safely assuming this was told to him since he seems like the type to ask questions. I am also safely assuming he asked questions since he took the time to send me things and by all the body language Leliana was throwing around, they will be things I like.”

Josephine smiled and covered it up with a cough. “Yes, that is all safe to assume.”

She paused. “You know what he sent me?”

“I do.”

“And you will not tell me?”

“I will not,” Josephine finished with a grin. She cleared her throat and gave a slight bow, walking back to the still bickering Spymaster and Commander. “Excuse me, I hate to interrupt your enthralling argument but the meeting is now over and our Inquisitor should go and see what our future ally has sent her.”

Leliana and Rylen stopped arguing but the glares thrown from either side suggested that this conversation was far from over with. Leliana turned to Elisabeth with a smile. “Yes, please go see if they are to your liking.”

Elisabeth excused herself from the war room and made a beeline to her quarters, extremely curious as to what had made Leliana and Josie so giddy.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She couldn't get up the stairs fast enough and almost tripped twice on her way to the door. Finally making it through the door of her room, she closed it behind her and locked it just in case what was there was of an inappropriate nature. The thought caused her face to warm and her head to duck to the side as she put her loose hair behind her right ear. _Maybe that's why Josie and Nightingale are teasing me. Perhaps he sent me something...tantalizing. Or perhaps I'm just being silly and it's nothing of the sort. There's only one way to find out._ It was with that thought she inched her way up the steps, stopping short of the fire place as her jaw dropped.

The four poster Orleasian bed she had ordered was replaced with a massive bed which was also four posters but had Avvar War Mammoths on each corner. All of them were reared back and posed to look like they were going to stomp on their enemy. Various furs also covered the bed. To the left of the bed there were different sized chests and some crates going in front of the doors leading out to the balcony and ending in a semi circle by her desk. Leaning against her desk was a tall object wrapped in what looked like velvet. It was the sight of this object that caused her feet to move slowly, one in front of the other until she stopped next to her desk. She picked up the object, testing its weight in her hands as the left side of her lip turned up slightly. She had figured from the shape that it would be a staff-type weapon underneath but as she peeled away the velvet nothing prepared her for what she saw under the layers of finery it was wrapped in.

Currently in her hands was an Onyx staff. It had to have been the deepest shade of Onyx she had ever seen. While she had heard stories of the Avvar and their crafting skills it was an entire thing all together to see it up close and personal. On the staff, there was what appeared to be letters which she assumed to be Avvarian symbols. She briefly recalled from what she was able to read up on them that they carried their Gods everywhere with them, even into the bedroom. She traced the symbols on the staff as she examined it starting with the blade on the bottom of the staff. Or rather, where the blade should have been. It was easy to understand why it wasn't on the staff right now and she was thankful for that because she would hate to have the blade bent up in the delivery of this lovely gift. Elisabeth made a mental note to try to find the blade that went with this kingly gift later as she continued to follow up the staff with her eyes, giving an audibly excited gasp once her eyes reached the top of the weapon. For at the top was another war mammoth, its head turned to the side and the tusks making it look extremely threatening. But instead of it being Onyx like the rest of the weapon, it was a pure Dawnstone with gold cuffs around the mammoth's ankles and gold bands around its tusks. This weapon had to have been the most beautiful thing she owned and she was very eager to test it in battle.

Before she let her excitement get the best of her, she looked around the room for some kind of note or letter. Surly she wouldn't be given this much stuff with no explanation. Not if the Thane was the type of man she thought he was. Setting the staff gently down on one of the trunks and making sure it wouldn't roll off, she made her way back to her desk to spot a smaller chest she hadn't noticed before. She half expected it to have war mammoths on it also but could see the carvings were of eagles and trees. Elisabeth walked over to her chair and sat down, making sure she was comfortable before she opened the chest. She had deduced that this was where his letter of explanation was but when she opened it up she was once again surprised. The small yet intricate chest contained not one letter. Oh no. It contained at least a dozen letters, all folded neatly with the seal of a lion on them. Upon closer inspection, she could see that they were carefully numbered in the bottom right corner of the top folded part of the letter. _For the order I'm supposed to read them in...interesting._ Elisabeth took the letter marked with a crisp, distinctive '1' on it and set the others back into the chest. She took out her letter opener, placing it under the seal and slid it side to side slowly until the seal came undone. She had no idea why she wanted to keep the lion on the letter in tact but she found the design of it to be quite visually pleasing as she had everything else he had given her so far. Gently prying the seal off the letter with the help of the opener, she placed it on her desk on top of another piece of paper. She decided that she would try and keep as many of the seals in tact as she could.

Taking a deep breath, she carefully unfolded the letter and was struck by how charming even the Thane's penmanship seemed to be. Was there nothing about this man that was imperfect? He was to be visiting Skyhold soon so she supposed that would be her chance to see for herself. In the top left corner of the letter, she saw the date and noted that it was dated three months ago which caused her to sit up in her chair, placing her elbows on her desk. _Three months ago!? He had been planning this for months? Why go through so much trouble? What could this man possibly want?_ Elisabeth closed her eyes and shook her head, opening her eyes again when she finally got her thoughts to stop racing. Sitting back in her chair she began to read the letter.

_'Bright Skies and Warm Greetings, Inquisitor:_

_Please allow me to take this moment to introduce myself. I am Thane Cullen War-Lion of Mountain-Thunder Hold. I hope my gifts have found you in good health. Members of your Inquisition were kind enough to answer my questions about you though they revealed nothing too personal, I assure you._

_The other letters from the chest you found this one in contain things about my hold as well as the other Avvar tribes that we call allies. They also contain information about the Avvar in general and a list of the other items in the chest. Included in the letters is also some information about myself. Only enough to sate what curiosity you may have about the man sending you all these things. I much prefer such conversations be held in person and I look forward to speaking with you when I arrive in Skyhold three weeks from the arrival of these items._

_As to why you are being sent these things: It is customary for the Thane of a hold who wishes to ally with another Thane to send gifts of a personal nature. These could range anywhere from hold beasts to wives/husbands to weapons to food for the Dwelling. Your title may be Inquisitor but you stay at Skyhold which was once an Avvar settlement so it was only natural for me to treat your presence as I would any other Thane of our tribes._

_I encourage you to please read through the letters and send any questions that you may have my way. Or save them for when I visit if that is your pleasure._

_I look forward to speaking with you very soon._

_May Your Hearth Always Be Warm in the Winter,_

_Thane Cullen War-Lion'_

Elisabeth let the letter fall from her fingers in a daze. He offered all of these things to her as a peace offering? Leliana had mentioned that he wanted to align himself with them but the things taking up almost half her room right now seemed like too much. The Inquisition had placed itself in the Frostback Basin almost five months ago before the fall of Haven. Commander Rylen had insisted that they start scouting for another place to dwell since Haven was so open and they were gaining numbers too quickly. She had been told about two weeks after they had settled a camp near the basin that the Thane had made contact. So that means that he had been asking about her for almost two months. Two months. Then took another three months to not only ask more things about her but to also gather the things and send them here. It all just seemed like too much time and energy for wanting a simple alliance. Not even Orlais or Ferelden had made such detailed or bold moves. In fact, since they only recently moved into Skyhold it seemed both nations were only taking more note of them out of fear more than anything else. While she could understand that since Skyhold bordered both nations, what she couldn't understand is why no one tried harder to reach out to fix the sky as the Inquisition did. It seemed like they were the only ones really trying to make an effort to fix things and remain civil in the process. Quite frankly, the entire ordeal was draining and it was the type of game she couldn't stand. She hated it in the Circle and she hated it on her parents' estate. She felt like she could truly never escape the constant need for the ebb and flow of power but this man...this man not only reached out but stated his intentions clearly.

But to what end? Having spent the last six months or so around people like Leliana and The Iron Bull she learned very quickly to find the angle and to ask questions even more so than she normally did. Though her general demeanor was reserved in most social situations, it did not stop her mind from craving knowledge from every source. The only way to satisfy this need for information was to ask questions and was she ever grateful that the people around her didn't mind her questions as much as she initially thought they would. The Iron Bull, Solas, Dorian, Varric and Vivienne especially seemed to welcome her company as well as her curiosity.

Settling back into her chair, she thought back to what she had read. He was clear in his intent. Who else had been just as bold when they first met? The Iron Bull. But Bull did not shower her with gifts. Although, what he had offered was himself as a bodyguard and the unsaid offer of friendship while making it perfectly clear that he was Ben-Hassrath. So what had Thane Cullen made perfectly clear, aside from his intentions to ally, in the letter? He made it perfectly clear that he had asked a lot of questions about her. Which meant he was interested in her or at least knowing as much as he could. She didn't find that too unusual. She normally asked Josie for as much information as possible before important people dropped by what was then Haven and now Skyhold. But what else was she missing? Opening her eyes, she scanned over the letter again only to put it down with a frown and stand up. Overthinking wasn't going to get her anywhere. Stretching and yawning loudly, she reached down to smooth her skirt when suddenly it dawned on her.

Leliana. For all of these things to get here they had to go through Leliana's people and get the final approval from Leliana! Which means that she would know his intentions better than anything his letters could state. Excited once more, she flew down the steps and fought racing to Leliana's rook above the library when her feet hit the throne room. If she was lucky, she would be there in time for tea.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She was lucky. There was also those little cakes she loved having with tea. _It was almost as if Nightingale was expecting me...nah._

Not only was there tea and cake but Leliana was more than happy to offer answers to all of Elisabeth's questions. She couldn't help but notice that Leliana was smiling more during this conversation than any other she had conducted with her. There was even laughing and teasing involved. It was wonderful to see Leliana focused on something other than secrets and death. She and Josie worried over Leliana's health but knew their concerns would be waved off if they approached her directly about it. So each lady took it upon themselves to make sure she had everything she required both for the Inquisition and personally to try to ease the day to day for her. When the conversation died off into a comfortable silence, Elisabeth was standing by a window and looked out it as she watched everyone move about their day to day down below. Leliana joined her, standing opposite of where she was and leaned against the wall near it.

“Did you enjoy the gifts?”

The question struck her out of her contemplation and she looked at Leliana with a slight smile. “I did even though I didn't look through everything that was there. It was thoughtful of him, yes.”

“But?” Leliana smirked and folded her arms loosely in front of her.

“Why give me so much? He claims he wants an alliance and that much is painfully clear but why does he want it? He would be better off seeking out Ferelden or Orlais.”

“Ferelden? The ones that chased them back into the Frostbacks? Or Orlais? The ones who originally sought to make them slaves? Thane Cullen's people would've skinned him alive for making such a suggestion. No, you are the safest choice and I might be biased but you are also the best choice. You rest between the two nations and are garnering a lot of attention, building up the reputation of the Inquisition as a force to be reckoned with.”

Elisabeth let out a chuckle. “Might be a little biased? Ok, sure, why not? I just can't help but feel there's another reason though I cannot put my finger on what it could be.”

“Maybe he wants you for his wife?”

She let out a full laugh then. To the point where she was almost doubled over and trying really hard to stop laughing.

Leliana smiled which turned into a grin and ended in a laugh right along with her. “Why is that so funny? Did it never occur to you that perhaps the man finds you so irresistible that he will try to woo you, make it so you can think of nothing but him? It is possible you know. You are an intelligent, powerful woman. You have land and an army at your back. You are a mage to be feared and respected. If we must mention physical appearance? You are beautiful. You are the Inquisitor and anyone would be so fortunate to have your attention.” Her laughter had slowly died off with Elisabeth's yet the smile remained as she watched the lady in front of her.

“He does not know me,” she finished with a blush and a sigh.

“Considering all the things he sent and the letters you have yet to read I would wager he knows you better than you think.” The spy master let her voice drop as she raised an eyebrow.

“Why am I not surprised that you read the rest of the letters?”

Leliana's smile turned into a grin.

“In any case! He does not know everything about me. He does not even know what I look like.”

“You don't know what he looks like either but I am willing to bet that by the time you get to the last letter you will be enraptured.”

“I think I will take that bet.”

Leliana pushed off from the wall with a smirk and walked to the table that had the kettle sitting upon it, refilling their cups. “I shall wait for you to finish the letters then. Try not to swoon too much, hmm?”

Letting out a snort, she walked back to her cup and sat down. “Deal. Now then, you said you had some reports from the Storm Coast you wanted to go over with me when we spoke again later today?”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It had been three weeks since she lost the bet to Leliana. Elisabeth had read the rest of the letters later that evening when the pain from The Mark kept her awake. She read well into the dawn and almost missed a war room meeting. She attended the meeting but when she wasn't dozing off, she was focused on the content of the ninth letter that had been sent. That one was her favorite and she carried it around Skyhold with her, reading it when she was alone in hallways or rooms. The letter itself was encouraging and flirty, perhaps even brash in his assumptions of her personality but not wrong. It spoke of how she could be or how things may have been different if she hadn't lived in the circle. The letter offered to teach her things, beckoned her to give into her weakness of learning and thus she found herself craving to discover the history of his people and their ways from him. The ninth letter paired well with the written papers and books he managed to put in one of the trunks he sent so she could learn more about the Avvar culture at her own pace. Finally, it confirmed what Leliana had mentioned in their initial conversation concerning Thane Cullen three weeks ago: he was smitten and by the ninth letter he was not even trying to hide it.

Elisabeth had never known such intent toward her, not in The Circle nor the Inquisition until now. She had no idea what she had done to garner such attention but she suspected that she would find out. Later today marked the time when the Thane himself, along with a group of trusted friends, would be traveling to Skyhold. Finally, she'd get to meet him and ask him the questions she had been holding back. It would also be the opportunity for her to give him the letters she had been writing him in return. She started in order, answering a letter a day until she had run out of letters to answer three days ago. To say she was smitten would've been too simple and using curious as a word would've been insulting to him. There was no word for what she felt as the days grew closer and closer to his arrival but the one that had to fit the closest was eager. Eager to put a face to the words and generosity, to hear the voice from the elegant sentences that constantly flowed from paper to her thoughts. Also eager to hear the real reasoning behind his thoughts, to ask him to his face 'Why me?' and from that to know the truth once and for all.

When the arrival horn sounded from the front gate, everyone in the Skyhold throne room turned toward the door. Elisabeth gently folded her hands over each other, letting them rest on her skirt in front of her as she sat on her Dragon Maw with Commander Rylen to her right and Leliana and Josephine to her left. Taking a deep breath and willing her stomach to settle, she slowly started counting back from one hundred. She had only reached ninety-three when the doors opened and her relaxed hands found themselves clinching in awe.

His walk could only be described as a predator's prowl with just as much danger as there was grace. Two Avvar were on either side of him and one of them appeared to be a mage judge from the staff swinging from her back but also by how only war paint seemed to cover the top half of her body. The armor of the other Avvar varied in what seemed to be bear or wolf furs complimented by giant axes and swords. Two of the warriors also seemed to only have war paint covering the top half of their bodies. She could easily pick out which one was the Thane, however, not because he was walking in the middle of the group. But because of the cloak he wore. It was red and black fur with the head of a lion dyed the same variation of hues as the hood itself hid away most of his face save for his mouth. He wore no shirt underneath the cloak from what she could easily tell since it was open to reveal his chest. Black leather pants rested on his hips as the same black and red fur seemed to wrap around the pants, stopping at his knees and split up either side to about his mid thigh. His boots were no less intimidating and matched the leather of his pants. Bringing her eyes back up to his face, she caught the slight smirk he gave as he knelt down before her sitting form.

“Bright Skies and Warm Greetings Lady Inquisitor,” came the deep, sinful purr of a giant cat knowing he had done very well. He fully smiled now, content in the knowledge that his eyes and most of his face were still hidden. That didn't stop the gasps and murmurs from the people witnessing this that his voice had already affected. She very quickly found herself praying to the Maker that this man didn't look as good as he sounded or she was going to be in trouble.

Thane Cullen slowly pushed back the hood of his cloak. Shoulder length blonde hair and eyes the color of molten from the hearth met pinned up black hair and eyes as fierce as any oncoming storm.

_She was in SO much trouble._

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Please feel free to follow me on Tumblr or Twitter @savvylittleminx.


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